


The Golden Boy

by elisi



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Crack, Crack Crossover, Crack Relationships, Crossover, F/M, I don't know how to tag this, M/M, honestly there is no adequate description
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23448037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisi/pseuds/elisi
Summary: Madly, wildly crack-tastic AU: The Buffyverse characters are dragonriders... (Wasn't Angelmadeto be a bronze rider? All that arrogance and I-know-best, it's aperfectfit.) But please note:1) Pern!Spike is (in most ways) very, VERY different from canon!Spike.2) I amevildevious! *g*
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know that in posting this I am destroying any shred of self-respect I might ever have possesed - because this truly is crack!fic of the highest order.
> 
> Originally written in 2007 and re-posted here now because... people might need crack to read during the coronavirus lockdown??
> 
> I'm going lightly on the tags, because I don't want to spoil anything. You'll see why. Oh, you'll see.

Although the sands of the Hatching Ground were almost scorching his feet through the sturdy boots, Angel barely noticed the heat. Elation and nervousness were warring within him, and he could scarcely believe that this day had finally come - the day he had been looking forward to his whole life. He wondered from which of the large mottled eggs would emerge his future companion - his very own bronze. He was sure he would Impress a bonze - after all he was descended from a long line of bronze riders. He looked round at the loose circle and smiled at his friends, knowing that they all shared his feelings. 

Then his eyes came to rest on Spike, and for a moment he couldn’t help frowning. Spike who, along with half a dozen other youngsters, had been found on Search. A Holder’s son, self-assured and charming, who had been the talk of the Weyr for a whole week now. ‘Oh he’s sure to Impress a bronze!’ they all said, ‘The dragons all took to him!’ And the girls had more than followed suit - fawning over the boy’s pretty blue eyes, chiselled cheekbones and blonde hair, nearly burned white by the sun. None of this however was a problem for Angel - there were more than enough eggs, and he knew perfectly well what it was like to fend off the attentions of the fairer sex. What set his teeth on edge was the fact that Spike didn’t seem to _care_ \- didn’t seem to understand the immense honour that was being bestowed upon him. Mostly the boy appeared to look upon the experience as nothing more than a welcome holiday, and was apparently utterly unconcerned with dragon kind in general and the Hatching in particular. 

Angel saw him suddenly smile and wave, and, following Spike’s look, saw a beautiful blonde young woman wave back to the youngster from the galleries, before blowing him a kiss.

Taking a deep breath, Angel forced his mind away from the golden wonder and instead looked across the sand to where the three Queen eggs laid, surrounded by two dozen girls in simple tunics... Catching Cordelia’s eyes he smiled widely. She would Impress a Queen, he knew it. Watching her now she still took his breath away - the way the tunic seemed to mould itself to her body, highlighting her gorgeous figure... Her proud stance, head held high - she could take on Lessa herself, he was sure of it. 

Then one of the eggs in front of him started to rock in earnest and all other things fled his mind.

***

How could something so incredible and life-altering be so swift? Angel had no idea - all he knew was that this day was everything he had hoped - and more besides. So much more. He had never understood just how correct the word ‘impression’ was - the way his dragon, in what could not have lasted more than a split-second, had become a part of him. He gazed into the bronze’s eye, which was swirling with all the colours of the rainbow, and only dimly began to become aware of his surroundings when his new partner declared himself to be hungry - _starving_ actually - and where would there be some food?

Angel looked up, just in time to see the first golden egg break apart and witness as the awkward fledgling headed straight for Cordelia. Her face split in the widest smile he had ever seen, and he could feel their future falling into place - this was destiny. 

Then the second egg cracked and, after a worried moment of searching, the little queen nudged a skinny, gawky-looking girl from down South, whose name escaped Angel. He’d thought her too timid, when he’d seen her the day before, only such that was the wonder of dragons - they could see what lay hidden inside.

But then his dragon began complaining again, and he turned, noticing that most of his friends were already leaving with their very own fledglings. As he watched, the last mottled egg broke to reveal a lively blue. Soon however it had found a partner - the slightly chubby boy next to Spike - and the two of them set off, the boy talking excitedly to his new best friend. Angel eyed Spike warily... despite all the predictions he had not Impressed, but he didn’t seem at all worried or upset, his attention now on the golden eggs - or possibly the girls surrounding them. When a green rider came to take him out, he shook his head, asking if he could stay and watch the last queen hatch.

Despite the pleas for food, that were now getting louder, Angel turned again to see what would happen with the last queen, as she tried to daintily step out of her shell, swinging her head from side to side, looking at the girls in front of her. And then... none of them would seem to fit. The little queen cried piteously, as she stumbled from one to the other, and Angel held his breath - what happened now? There had been plenty for her to choose from.

Then suddenly Spike nimbly ran past him, before stopping a respectful distance from the dragon and her very sharp talons.

“Look Love, don’t worry - there’s plenty of pretty girls up there in the stalls for you...”

Slowly his voice drifted off and the queen began crooning in delight. Spike took two faltering steps forward before falling to his knees, throwing his arms around the beast’s golden neck. 

Then, tears in his eyes, he looked around and said, “She says her name is Buffieth!”

Angel felt like the world had suddenly started spinning. He had heard the stories of what had happened when Jaxom had Impressed Ruth... but surely the silence couldn’t have been as deafening as now?


	2. Chapter 2

It was a beautiful, radiant morning. Silent and unnoticed from his vantage point as guard above the Star Stones, N’gel watched as the three young queens were being bathed. They would soon reach their full growth, he pondered, observing the grace with which they carefully waded into the water. 

There being two more days until Threadfall the Weyr was not busy, and as usual a crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle. Cordelia and Winifred, long hair tumbling down their shoulders, were already busy scrubbing their queens’ hides, their skirts bunched up and tucked into their belts - as beautiful and feminine a sight as could be found on all of Pern. And again N’gel wondered at the marvellous fortune that had given him Cordy - gorgeous, funny Cordy; frivolous and lighthearted, yet as sensible as a woman twice her age. Some day soon - maybe when he was made wing leader, which he was sure couldn’t be a long time off - he would marry her. 

Then slowly, against his will, his eyes were drawn to Spike. As though deliberately trying to stand out against his fellow queen riders, the youngster was a picture of masculinity. Chest and feet bare, he wore only leather breeches - so tight N’gel sometimes wondered how he got dressed in the morning. But it was all for the ladies - that message was one Spike had managed to put across loud and clear. There had been advances from several green riders - as well as other interested men, including the new journeyman Harper. But Spike had turned them all down - sometimes almost resorting to violence, since his temper could get hot when pestered... 

No, whatever had drawn Buffieth to Spike, it had not been _that_ bend in his tastes. If anything, it had been the opposite... N’gel’s brow drew together as he studied the way in which Spike bathed the golden dragon. Love was at the heart of all rider-dragon relationships; it was a friendship - partnership - that went soul deep. A rider cared for his mount more than himself, tended to it as carefully as a mother to her child. But there was something different to Spike’s ministrations - it was as though he was _in love_ with the young queen; his touches almost like those of a lover’s, lending a strange sensual undertone to all his interactions with the golden creature.

And N’gel didn’t like it - it chafed him somehow, and it felt _wrong_. Unsettling. Of course the obvious solution was just to avoid Spike, but this was surprisingly hard to do - and not just because Spike was best friends with Cordy. Spike was likely to appear at any point in the Weyr, at any time - except when he was taking care of Buffieth of course - always busy assisting some pretty girl or other with yet another task, asking questions that were clearly thinly disguised chat-up lines. He was even often to be found in the company Norella, Head woman of the Lower Caverns... who also just happened to be the mother of one the most beautiful girls in the entire Weyr. N’gel had secretly been very pleased - and rather gleeful - when the girl had married a brown rider a few months ago. The golden boy had obviously failed in _that_ particular mission.

The dragons being clean Spike then turned his attention to the girls, and soon he had managed to knock Cordelia off her feet. She emerged, spluttering and gasping and laughing - her dress clinging to her in such a way that N’gel suddenly found himself rather uncomfortable on Immorteth’s neck. Fred - as usual thinking ahead - was already safely back on the shore. 

Shaking her hair, and obviously in no hurry to follow Fred, Cordy grinned evilly, and a second later Pradaith pushed Spike over. But rather than resurfacing, Spike yanked at Cordy from under the water and she disappeared under for the second time with a yelp. The dragons were obviously amused, as were the spectators, but N’gel was less forthcoming. As soon as his watch was over he’d have words with Cordy - he didn’t trust himself not to punch the blond youth.

***

“By the Great Egg, N’gel, jealous much? Spike’s my friend, that’s all. Get over it!”

N’gel really hated it when Cordy used that tone of voice. As though he was an unreasonable 12-year-old. He emptied his cup and put it on the table, then caught her eyes.

“I just think he takes too many liberties. And you _know_ what he’s like!”

Cordy smiled innocently. “I have no idea what you mean.”

He sighed. Why did everyone just let Spike get away with everything? The golden boy with his golden dragon, who appeared to fool his way through life.

“You know perfectly well what I mean. The fact that he’s spent the past two turns sleeping his way through the Lower Caves... how many children has he sired by now?”

Cordy’s expression turned musing. “Three I think... well three where he’s the named father anyway.” Then she smiled indulgently. “And anyway, not everyone’s as faithful as you and me. What’s wrong with having some fun? He _is_ special after all. As well as being very pretty, and pure Blood to boot. Not a bad package.” She chuckled, then picked up a fruit from the bowl and sent N’gel a teasing look. “He’s got quite the reputation you know!”

 _‘She’s right,’_ Immorteth added, sleepily, and N’gel shook his head and let the matter drop. It never helped - even his own dragon was enthralled... 

He knew that Cordy would never cheat on him, but still he resented her close friendship with the other man. Yet it could not be helped... the three of them - Cordy, Fred and Spike - had been close ever since Impression. Three simultaneous queen eggs was an incredibly rare occurrence, and naturally they had bonded. 

For what was probably the millionth time, N’gel wished that Spike had not Impressed a queen... and, as usual, went on to hope that Immorteth would not develop a preference for anyone except Pradaith - a matter that increasingly occupied his thoughts as the day of the young queens’ first mating flights grew ever nearer. What Spike’s thoughts on the matter was no one knew, since he never mentioned it. Not that it needed to be a problem for Spike, of course - there were plenty of women more than willing to share his bed. And if N’gel was the unlucky one (although given the great number of bronzes it was rather unlikely) he had Cordy. Green riders often arranged things this way, and he was sure Spike would be no different. And yet... there were times when he’d catch Spike carefully scrutinising the bronze riders, one at a time, an odd look on his face that N’gel couldn’t really work out. And mostly - or so at least it seemed to N’gel - he spent the longest looking at _him_. He knew the other bronze riders were uncomfortable too, even if the subject was rarely mentioned. “Not different from the greens, is it?” one of them would invariably say, and the rest would nod assent. But it _was_ different. And they all knew it.

Thankfully, he had just heard some news that had made everything better. Smiling, as though he really had let go of the Spike-matter, he caught Cordy’s eyes. 

“Have you heard the rumour?”

“Which particular rumour were you thinking of?” she asked archly, probably thinking of Spike’s newest conquest, a pretty miner’s daughter that he’d chased for quite some time. N’gel took a deep breath, carefully purging his mind of such silliness. 

“The one where there’s talk of setting up a new Weyr, since once the new queens start to lay, this one will be bursting at the seams. It might be a few Turns away, but...”

“Oh yes, heard that.” Cordy shrugged indifferently, but then her features suddenly lit up. “Oh - J’thon told me that there are traders on the way! You think they’ll have some of that new shimmery cloth everyone’s talking about?” 

N’gel stared at her. “But - don’t you realise the potential? A new Weyr! Which will need a Weyrleader and Weyrwoman... And - they might just decide that they need someone young and full of energy.”

Cordelia frowned. “What - you think they’ll choose _us_?”

“Of course!” 

He wanted to shake her - this was the opportunity of a lifetime, why wasn’t she more excited? “I thought you _wanted_ to be Weyrwoman.”

“Well yes, but not _now_.” Her expression was incredulous. “Neither of us is more than 19.” 

“Lessa wasn’t much older when she became Weyrwoman,” he countered.

“Well - I’m not Lessa, and back then there was only one Weyr and one queen. Things were different. I’d like a good few years of fun first. You know...” her smile turned affectionate. “Get married, have some children... And I seriously don’t want to spend every Gather cooped up in boring meetings.”

Slowly she shook her head. “What is it with you and responsibility, N’gel? You chase it as determinedly as a runner at a race. Is... is it because of your father?”

He sighed. “No. It’s nothing to do with my father. I just know that I’m the best man for the job, and I believe you’re the best woman.”

At this she rolled her eyes, and threw up her hands. “You - you bronze riders! You’re all the same.” 

Then she stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Just... don’t get all excited, OK? You always do this - get an idea and never stop to think. Maybe...” she suddenly smiled, eyes dark and sultry, “maybe you should put all your plans on hold until after Pradaith’s first mating flight...”

Laughing he pulled her to him and moments later they were entwined on the bed. And N’gel was yet again reminded of all the reasons why he loved his woman.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffieth was the first of the new queens to rise. Thinking about it later, N’gel felt sure that Spike had set her off deliberately - but when he asked, the blond just smiled enigmatically and N’gel knew he’d never get a straight answer. 

Still, the day would always be burned into his mind...

***

It was afternoon when he was abruptly called back from patrol.

 _‘The bronzes are blooding their kill!’_ was all Immorteth relayed to him before they went _between_ , and for just a moment N’gel’s world consisted of pure elation. But as soon as he joined the other riders, he knew that it was Buffieth. The atmosphere was oddly subdued, even with the rising excitement, and N’gel felt almost sorry for Spike when he emerged, silent and pale and obviously focussed on nothing except his dragon.

There was a swift and wordless battle of wills before Buffieth obeyed her rider, and after a few bloody kills she suddenly threw herself skyward, gleaming so brightly that she seemed to challenge the sun for supremacy.

As one the bronzes took off in pursuit, and N’gel had the most curious sensation of being split in two. Although most unsettling of all was Immorteth’s sudden desire to win. N’gel had often thought his bronze almost too calm and stoic - wondering if anything could ever rouse the fighter he knew lurked in every dragon. 

But now he was reeling from Immorteth’s determination and lust - so bright and sharp that N’gel almost wanted to hold onto something to steady himself. 

_Why oh why couldn’t Pradaith have risen first?_

Desperately trying to keep a hold on himself, N’gel tried to comfort himself with the fact that Immorteth was young - there were older, stronger, beasts in the air with him, and he was not likely to succeed against such competition... But the only result of this thought was Immorteth’s cry of defiance at his rider’s lack of faith.

N’gel was not conscious of time moving; but the sun was beginning to near the horizon and there were now only five bronzes left... Slowly lifting his eyes, N’gel saw Spike, the young man’s slender frame outlined in ochre against the stone wall of the Weyr. For a moment the other swayed slightly on his feet, and instinctively N’gel ran forward.

_Only four bronzes now..._

Holding on to conscious thought through the lust was increasingly difficult.

“Someone get him back to his Weyr!” he called out, grabbing Spike’s arm, and slowly the boy turned and looked at him, eyes staring at him as from a great distance. 

“Do you feel it?” Spike asked, voice rough and secrets dancing in his eyes. 

N’gel could only nod, because suddenly he could almost taste the victory coursing through Immorteth. He _knew_ \- although he couldn’t say why - that it would be him. And with sudden stark clarity he saw what a fool he’d been... because Cordy wasn’t there waiting for him. She - like all the other gold riders - would have taken her queen far away the second it was clear Buffieth would be rising. 

He wanted to say something, but speech was impossible. Closing his eyes briefly he saw the world only through his dragon’s eyes, where there was room for no thought other than the prize he would claim for his own.

When he forced his eyes open again, he realised that they were in Spike’s Weyr - although how they had arrived there he didn’t know. The battle in the air far, far away was spread out before him, and, breathless, he stared into Spike’s eyes. The blond pulled him close, and the contact made N’gel suddenly dizzy, as he felt Spike’s hands curl into his hair and his mouth was captured in a searing kiss. Then the queen rider pulled back a fraction, regarding N’gel with an exultant expression, naked lust shining out of him. 

“Oh N’gel... I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

Then Spike laughed triumphantly, as he eagerly pulled at the bronze rider’s clothing. N’gel opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment Immorteth dived down, taking Buffieth by surprise... 

The dual realities shattered and blended together, the world existing through pure passion alone. N’gel couldn’t tell where the golden dragon ended and the golden boy began, all he knew was that they were both _his_ , lighting up the darkness with their burning fervour. 

And he lost himself in bright golden rapture.


	4. Chapter 4

When N’gel woke the following morning, his first feeling was one of pure bliss. He could sense Immorteth nearby - asleep, but utterly satisfied - and pulled the warm body in his arms closer, before softly stroking the short hair under his hand...

_Wait._

_Short hair..._

His eyes snapped open, and he stared at the sleepy blond in his arms, brain in pure freefall. 

Slowly Spike opened his eyes and made a contented little noise, then sat up, watching N’gel with an amused look on his face.

“Well... that was - _something else_ , huh?” He suddenly grinned widely and wickedly. “Maybe those green riders are onto something after all. Although I doubt it’d be quite as spectacular without dragon intervention...”

N’gel wanted to say something, but the memories of the night’s adventures were unquestionably incredible. Spike stretched, almost gleaming in the clear morning light, before looking N’gel over with a rather admiring look.

“Gotta remember to compliment Cordy on the skills of her lover.” Then he frowned, looking a little worried. “Really ought to have asked before I borrowed you I suppose, but...” he shrugged, “wouldn’t have made much difference, would it now?”

The mention of Cordy’s name abruptly brought N’gel back to reality.

Quietly he buried his head in his hands, unable to voice the feelings that overwhelmed him. All his plans, all his hopes... gone. For the foreseeable future at least... Why oh why did dragons have to be so fickle?

Carefully he took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the deep disappointment that was almost choking him. One night of mindless passion - and for what? He lifted his face to see Spike studying him, the same strange look on his face that he’d seen before. He’d call it calculating, but...

“So,” Spike said, “What do you reckon our chances are of getting this new Weyr?”

N’gel could feel his mouth fall open, but he couldn’t help it. Slowly his head managed to make sense of Spike’s words, and he answered, incredulous.

“ _You_... want to be Weyr... woman?”

“Well _yes_ ,” Spike replied as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “You think I want to be stuck here forever as nothing more than a novelty attraction, tailing along at the back of the Queens' wing with my flamethrower? No bloody thanks.”

“But...” A thousand thoughts were crowding his head, but N’gel was unable to turn any of them into spoken words.

Spike regarded him silently for a few moments, obviously reading his mind, and then spoke, voice quieter and more serious than N’gel could ever recall.

“You’ve never given moment’s thought to who I used to be, have you N’gel? Or to the fact that there’s a whole world out there that doesn’t revolve around dragons. Back home I...” Spike stopped for a moment, eyes lost. “I would look out of a window and _know_ , that if I played my cards right, then everything I saw, from horizon to horizon, would one day be mine.”

For a moment he closed his eyes, but then he took a deep breath and turned to face N’gel.

“Had plenty of competition, mind you... four brothers, two sisters and untold half-siblings. But - I knew that I was the best. Think you know that feeling too, don’t you?”

N’gel nodded mutely - too stunned to speak. Spike sighed and dragged a hand through his hair.

“Only came here because well... how often do you get to see a Weyr? And then... One moment I was the prime candidate to one day take over from my father. A Lord Holder in the making. And the next... I was a freak. ‘The boy who impressed a queen’! A Pern-wide ‘celebrity’ with idiot harpers composing ballads about my eyes.”

Spike’s voice was harsh, and the look he shot N’gel was full of bitterness. Still trying to make sense of having his view of the other turned upside down, N’gel cautiously asked, “But - I... um... thought you enjoyed your fame? You’ve been having a good time as far as I could see...”

Spike shrugged. “Don’t mind the fame, don’t mind the benefits... but I _do_ mind the reason. I used to be respected, looked up to even. If I could go back in time...” he stopped, and then a soft smile crept across his face. “Oh I’d probably do the same again. She’s worth it all and more besides.” He shook his head. “Course I always hoped to fall in love one day - preferably with my wife, whoever she’d be. Never... never thought it’d be a dragon.” 

He chuckled, then soberly continued. “But - as I said, just because I love her to pieces doesn’t mean that I’m happy sitting around here like some bizarre curiosity dug up at Landing.”

He shot N’gel a shrewd look and leaned back against the headboard, hands behind his head. “Thing is, I was taught Hold management from before I could walk - my responsibilities, my heritage, and all the hard work and sacrifices I’d have to put in to provide for those beholden to us. It’s not the sort of mindset you can just get rid of. I was born to _be_ someone.” 

N’gel flashed back to when Spike had first arrived - and how the air of superiority had chafed. Strangely however, finding out that Spike really _was_ as arrogant a bastard as he’d suspected didn’t bother him at all... and he realised that the two of them were really very similar indeed. But Spike was far from finished.

“Anyway, once I’d come to terms with being here, it occurred to me that I had the very thing that could put me on the map - a gold dragon! Cause Queens rule the roost - if you become Weyrwoman the job is yours for life, pretty much.” He smiled happily and slid further down into the bed, draping one of his legs over N’gel’s - and N’gel didn’t know what to do.

“So... the way forward was very simple: learn everything about how a Weyr works. I figured it couldn’t be too different from running a Hold, and it isn’t.”

”Wait-” N’gel interrupted, suddenly seeing the past in a totally different light . “So you weren’t just running after pretty girls - all that nosing around was for a purpose?”

Spike chuckled. “Oh I was in it for the pretty girls too. But yeah, I know this Weyr from top to bottom and inside out - could take over tomorrow if it came to it. Anyway, thought I’d have to wait my while, but then... then they started talking about this new Weyr. And well, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, innit? All I needed was a bronze rider beside me... one who was perfect Weyrleader material. And-” he spread his arms wide, triumphantly, “-here you are!”

For a long while N’gel could only stare, as he tried to analyse all this new information, then he shook his head. “But you make it sound as though you _chose_ me. Only that’s not possible, mating flights are all up to the dragons...”

Spike smirked. “Oh _please_ \- not even you are that naive. True, _most_ mating flights are all chance... but not all of them. I asked around in the right places, and discovered how R’gul got Hath to fly Nemorth - to mention the most obvious example. So, I did the same... just the other way round. None of the bronze riders wanted their dragon to fly Buffieth, so I channelled that into making them help Immorteth win - subtle-like though, they never figured it out.” 

At N'gel’s stunned face, he merely shrugged. “I always knew I had Power - I mean that’s why they found me on Search - but... yesterday was nevertheless somewhat exhausting. Making people bend to your will isn’t as easy as it sounds.”

He rubbed his face, and N’gel abruptly recalled the previous night’s brief conversation.

“So - wait - last night when you said you’d been waiting for that moment, you didn’t mean...”

Spike shook his head, laughing. “Oh no, I’ve not been sat dreaming about losing myself in your sweet embrace - although it is a very nice one, if I might say so.” He curled his tongue behind his teeth and shot N’gel a glance so suggestive the other almost blushed. “Mostly though, I was just over the moon that it was all actually working out. Two years planning in the balance...” 

N’gel let his head fall back against the headboard with an audible sigh of relief. But after a moment he had a thought.

“But - if it wasn’t about _me_ me, then... why... _this_?” He indicated the whole bed scenario. “Why not just find a girl for each of us?”

Spike stared at him, incredulous. “And miss out on sex so bloody amazing it turns straight men gay? Are you _crazy_?”

N’gel didn’t really have an answer for that, and Spike chuckled again. “And you Weyr-bred and all...” 

He shook his head, then suddenly sat up straight and looked N’gel in the eye. “So - what do you say? You and me - partners? Together we have brilliant chance of getting this Weyr, trust me.”

N’gel thought for a moment, then held out his hand. “Deal.”

Spike smiled deeply, took his hand and shook it. N’gel smiled back, still stunned that ‘The Golden Boy’ had turned out to be the best ally a man could ask for.

Then there was a sudden flicker in Spike’s blue eyes, and the next moment he’d pulled N’gel close, kissing him deeply and hungrily. For a second N’gel was utterly paralysed, but then reacted without thinking, pulling Spike closer. He could feel Immorteth stir, a spark from last night awakening, and desire suddenly blossomed again, hot and demanding.

But then Spike abruptly pulled away, smirking deeply. 

“Just one thing. Next time she rises? I go on top!”

Then he jumped out of bed and bounced over to the lift shaft, calling down for breakfast for two.

N’gel sat in the bed, staring after Spike, and tried to get his breathing under control. What had happened to him? _One_ night of sex - although admittedly it had been utterly mindblowing sex - and he was as enthralled by Spike as the simplest serving wench. He shook his head. No - it had to be Spike using his power. Yes, that was it. 

Satisfied with this explanation, N’gel finally allowed himself to relax and begin dreaming of his very own Weyr.

*

Watching N’gel from across the room, Spike smiled. Everything was coming together even better than he could have hoped for. But, he suddenly realised, best of all might be the fact that he finally had someone to talk to. Not that he was ever alone, what with Buffieth, and he couldn’t ask for better companions than Cordy and Fred. But to have another man to bond with was... surprisingly satisfying.

Shortly afterwards they sat down by the table to a hearty breakfast, and began discussing their future in earnest. Full of youthful confidence and self-assurance they happily bounced ideas off each other, relishing their shared outlook and ambitions.

Privately, however, Spike was also wondering how long it’d take him to talk N’gel and Cordy into a threesome... The future, he decided, was definitely looking golden.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you readers for following me to the end of this ridiculous (and yet plausible?) AU. <3
> 
> Back when I first wrote it I vaguely thought about a sequel, but that was 13 years ago and I never wrote it, so it's unlikely it'll ever happen. But you never know, maybe one day...
> 
> A few notes:
> 
> Angel's dragon _had_ to be the Immortal as it was to fly Buffy. I was NOT having a Riley-dragon.
> 
> The blonde girl who waves to Spike in the first chapter is Harmony.
> 
> The slightly chubby boy who impresses a Blue is Jonathan.
> 
> Fred's dragon is called Wesleyith.
> 
> The Ballad Spike refers to is called 'The Blue Eyes of The Golden Boy', and is written by Andrew, journeyman Harper.  
> There's a whole verse about his cheekbones.


End file.
